She never
by pcworth
Summary: Emma returns to New York with an unhappy Henry. Will Regina find the courage to go to New York and tell Emma what she never told her before?
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: I do not own OUAT or its characters

Regina sat in her porcelain tub, her ankles crossed, her knees up, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She could no longer differentiate her tears from the shower water that cascaded her body.

She could feel each drop of water hit her and she could only wish that she didn't feel anything at all.

Her mind flashed back to a stable from a lifetime ago. Daniel's gentle touches, his first confession of love, their lips pressed to one another. Then her mother, Cora, ripping his heart out. The heart that was meant to be hers for all time crushed in her own mother's hand.

She might as well have taken Regina's heart with it.

But she had found love again. Her son, Henry, the reason for her existence for so many years. His laughter as a baby, his first steps, marking his height on the inside of his door, seeing him look at her and knowing he loved his mother.

Then that book changed everything. Her son began to look at her as the Evil Queen. He sought out his birth mother. He saw her as the villain. And again she didn't want to feel that. She didn't want to know that her son no longer looked at her with unconditional love.

Her sister came and she did the one thing she swore she would never do – took her own heart out. She saw what her mother was without her heart and she didn't want to become that. She wouldn't. But to protect that part of her she took it out, but Zelena found a way to get it anyway.

But she defeated Zelena. She did it. She was a hero. She got her heart back intact. She could feel again fully.

And that was why she was sitting in her tub as the water began to run cold. Her tears never stopping, her sobs audible only to her in her empty house.

Her son was gone. Emma was gone.

Back to New York they had gone. She had pleaded with Emma, argued with her, but Emma still left.

She had done everything …

Not everything. She never told Emma how she felt. She never told her how she wanted to run her fingers through the softness of her hair. She never told her how she wanted so much to taste those lips. She never told her that she wondered what it would be like to wake with those strong arms wrapped around her.

She never told her how the heart that beat in her chest belonged to her.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma watched as Henry dispassionately played his video game. She knew he was just going through the motions. He had been like this since they had left Storybrooke.

She couldn't blame him. She hadn't let him have a say in coming back. When he tried to argue with her, she had shut him down.

Now he was shutting her out.

She wasn't much happier.

She wasn't even sure why.

She spoke with her parents every other day so she was in the know about everything worth being in the know about back in Storybrooke. She had gone back to work and was completely uninterested in it.

Henry's cell phone rang and he excitedly answered it and went to his room. Regina.

Emma had gotten the cell phone for Henry so he could talk with his other mother, at least until she and Regina worked out some sort of custody arrangement. The only time Henry seemed to cheer up was when Regina called.

She had not actually spoken to Regina since they left Storybrooke six weeks ago. Things had not ended well between them. They had argued. Regina had pleaded with her not to take Henry away.

Emma felt like Regina was holding something back the entire time.

Or maybe that was just her projecting herself on to the situation. She hadn't told Regina why she was really leaving. She had never thought to even mention to Regina that if she had just asked to her to stay, she would have.

But Regina had asked to let Henry stay. She had never asked Emma to stay.

Henry came back out of his room and sat on the couch. "Mom is coming to tomorrow."

"What!"

"I told her she can pick me up from school."

"Oh. Um … ok."

Regina. Regina was coming here. Emma could already feel her heart beating out of her chest. She had no doubt she would be getting the cold shoulder from Regina. But it didn't matter. She was going to see Regina.


	3. Chapter 3

Even though she knew it was Regina at the door, Emma was still nervous as she answered it.  
"Miss Swan."  
"Regina. Come in," Emma said stepping out of the way. Regina entered and let Emma close the door so she could follow her in. Regina looked around at the place her son had lived for a year. It was more in order than she imagined it would be.  
"Mom!"  
She turned and opened her arms as Henry hit her with a hug. She relished the feel of it. It had been too long.  
"I missed you," he said.  
"I missed you more," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here yesterday."

"That's ok. All that matters is you're here now."  
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Emma asked feeling awkward.  
"No thank you," Regina said, trying to keep her emotions in check around this woman who effectively stole her son from her. "Are you ready to give me a tour of New York?"  
"We're going to have a blast," Henry said. "I have so much to show you."  
"We should get going then."  
Within a few minutes they were gone and Emma was left in the empty apartment. Neither had even said good-bye. She should have expected it would go like this though. The only that seemed to have cracked a smile on Henry's face since they returned to New York was when he spoke to Regina. Then when he caught her off guard Thursday night to say that Regina would be there on Friday, she called Regina. Henry thought Regina was delayed because of some business in Storybrooke, but the truth was Emma had asked her to hold off until Saturday. She was surprised Regina agreed. Emma just needed more time to get used to the idea that Regina was leaving Storybrooke to come to New York.  
It hadn't escaped her notice that some of the stuff was things she and Henry had done together. She felt like Henry was trying to relive their year in New York in a few days with Regina. Three days, she thought, I just have to get through three days and Regina would go back to Storybrooke.

She had three days to get through without breaking down. She couldn't help but think of how good Regina looked. While it had only been six weeks since they had seen each other last, it seemed longer.

It was nearing 9 p.m. when Henry came back in. She had sent him a couple of texts during the day just to check in. Each time his answers were short.  
"Where is Regina?"  
"She dropped me off and went to her hotel. She will be back in the morning to pick me up."  
"Oh. She could have um stayed in the spare room."  
"I want to stay with her tomorrow night. She told me to ask you if that would be ok."  
"At the hotel?"  
"Yeah she got two rooms just in case. I really want to spend as much time with her as I can since she can only be here three days and you won't let me skip school on Monday. She can drive me to school and pick me up afterward so we can have dinner together before she leaves."  
The skipping Monday school had been a point of contention between them. She had stuck to her ruling on the matter that he would not be skipping.  
"So can I stay with mom tomorrow night?"  
"Yeah kid."  
"Good," he said turning to go to his room.  
"Hey, wait. How was today?"  
"It was great."  
"Can I get some details?"  
"Why?"  
"How about because I am your mother and I would like to know where you have been all day?"  
"I was with my mom."  
She took a breath. She didn't need to be fighting with her 13 year old son. "Henry, I know you are happy to see Regina, and I am happy for you whether you believe it or not, but I am your mother and you need to respect that too."  
"Like you respected her when you took me from my home?"  
"Go to your room,"  
"Gladly."


	4. Chapter 4

Regina returned to her hotel room happy that she was able to spend the day with Henry. She had missed him so much. She enjoyed the tour they had gone on, with Henry as her guide. She wouldn't want to live in New York, but she didn't mind visiting.

She had tried to mentally prepare to see Emma again, but the moment Emma had opened the door, Regina was at a loss as to what to say. When Emma had asked her to postpone her trip to New York by a day she had gotten discouraged. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to have come to New York and spoken to Emma like an adult – told her finally that she had feelings for her. She would tell her what she should have said in Storybrooke.

But she hadn't.

Maybe tomorrow, she thought.

Emma hadn't slept well, up most of the night being angry at Henry and being angrier at Regina. What had Regina said to Henry? Had she encouraged him to act that way toward Emma? She hadn't wanted to think it, but she also knew that Regina had been upset when she had taken Henry back to New York. Well if Regina wanted to be that way about it Emma was more than willing to fight back.

She was making coffee when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said to Regina and turning immediately to walk back to the kitchen. Regina shut the door, again feeling out of sorts by Emma's reaction. Emma could affect her in ways no one had before, but this was not what she was expecting. She walked toward the kitchen where Emma was pouring a cup of coffee.

"I understand you asked Henry to ask me if he could stay the night with you tonight."

"I did," she said hesitantly

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea, and as his mother it's my call to make."

Regina took a step back unsure what to make of this sudden hostility. "I don't see the harm in letting him spend the night at the hotel. I will get him to school in the morning."

"See, it doesn't matter if you don't see the harm in it. I am his mom so it's my decision to make."

"He's my son too."

"Don't think that I don't know what's going on here."

"Then maybe you can tell me Miss Swan because I must have missed something."

"Henry's life is here in New York with me. I am sorry if you don't understand that, but the fact remains I am his mom and he is staying with me. If you think you can turn him against me then you are mistaken. The only reason he is excited to see you is because he doesn't have to see you on a daily basis."

Regina took another step back. "Why would you say that? Did something happen last night after I dropped him off?"

"Like you don't know."

"I don't. Emma … if you think I've done something to cause you to act this way toward me, believe me I haven't."

"And why should I believe you? After all you have done in your life, all the manipulations, the backstabbing and all of it, why should I believe you?"

"Because …" she started to say but couldn't find her voice.

"Go ahead tell me some lie, tell me anything you want because in the end it won't matter. Tell me why I should believe anything that comes out of your mouth?"

"Because … because I love you."

The moment the words left her, Regina felt like her heart was going to explode into a million pieces. She took a couple of steps back until she hit the table. She reached behind her to steady her quivering legs.

"Mom?"

She turned and saw Henry and then turned to see Emma who was staring at her.  
"I'm sorry," she said before running out of the apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma stood there, not even sure she had heard Regina right. She felt like her brain had short-circuited.

"What did you do?" she heard Henry say.

What had she done?

She saw the front door was still hanging part way open. "Regina!" she called out as she went running. She ran down flights of steps not bothering to wait for an elevator. Once she reached the street level though, she saw no sign of Regina. She jogged up the street to see if she could catch a glimpse of her.

"Fuck," she swore. Regina was gone.

She took the elevator back up to the apartment and found Henry on the phone.

"Is that her?" she asked, but Henry was already hanging up.

"I kept getting the voicemail. What did you do?"

"What hotel is she staying at?"

"I don't know. She never said the name. What happened? Why did she run out like that? Did she say she loved you?"

"Yes," Emma said. "She … we have to find her. Did she say anything about the hotel she was staying at? Anything that will help us find her? Anything you can remember could help."

"I don't know. She said she had a good view of the city. Um, the high ceilings in the lobby reminded her of how high the ceilings are in castles. She said we could order room service. I don't know. I did most of the talking yesterday when I showing her places. I think she said it was maybe 25th Street, but that doesn't sound right."

Emma bit her lip. She needed to find Regina, and find her fast. She had to fix this. "Give me your phone," she said. She figured there was a chance Regina would answer if she saw it was Henry calling and zero chance if she saw it was Emma.

The phone rang, but went directly to voicemail. She tried not to swear as she message prompt came on. "Regina, it's Emma. Please call me or Henry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean … what I said I didn't mean it. I just … please I need you to call. Just call and tell me where you are at and I will be right over. Please we need to talk."

She hung up the phone feeling like even more of an idiot. What had she even said to Regina? She was so angry she had said the first hurtful things that came to mind. Why had she done that? Henry was just as much Regina's child as hers, maybe more so since Regina had actually raised him. She had to make things right.

"Get your computer," she said to Henry. "We have to start calling hotels to find her."

"What are you going to do when we find her? I heard you yelling at her."

Emma bent down in front of him and took his hands in her. "I know. I screwed up. I thought, well, it didn't matter what I thought. I didn't know she had feelings for me. If I had then none of this would have happened. But this is on me. I said things I should never have said and I can only hope your mom will forgive me; that you will forgive me. I am asking you to trust me that I don't want to hurt her. I have to find her. She and I need to talk, to sort all of this out. Please, will you help me?"

"What hotels do we call?"

"All of them until we find her."

…..

Emma cursed the New York traffic as she made her way through the city to 45th Street. It had taken forever it seemed to find the right hotel. Each time she called one and asked for Regina Mills she got disheartened when they said no one of that name was staying there. Then Henry lucked out when he called The Roosevelt. They had rung Regina's room but hadn't gotten an answer. Emma left immediately. She made Henry stay at the apartment, which he argued about, but this was a conversation she needed to have with Regina alone.

The entire drive over she kept thinking about Regina's declaration of love. She had no idea there were feelings there on Regina's part. She had spent the better part of her time in Storybrooke thinking about the mayor. At first it was purely impure thoughts, but as she got to know her and saw the love Regina had for Henry, she found her feelings for Regina grew into something else.

When she figured there was no hope for anything close to a future with Regina she decided to come back to New York. It would be easier if she didn't have to see her all the time. When Regina argued with her about staying, it was clear that she only wanted Emma to stay because she wanted Henry to stay.

If Regina had said something, anything, she would never have come back here. But she knew Regina wasn't to blame. She was. She was the coward who had left.

It took her nearly an hour to get to the hotel. She felt like fate was fighting her as she got caught by traffic lights, slow drivers and even had to reroute around an accident. She got to the front desk. "I am here to see a guest. Regina Mills."

The woman typed into the computer. "I am sorry; Miss Mills is no longer a guest here."

"What? No. When did she check out?"

"I am not allowed to give out that kind of information."

"Please. I am begging you. I am not some crazy person or stalker. I just need to find her. Look, look I can prove it," she said pulling out her phone and calling up the camera roll. "See here, is Regina with our son Henry at the park, and here is one of the three of us that my friend Ruby took, and here is Regina speaking at a council meeting, and this one, this one is just Regina. I took it while she wasn't looking. See the baby she's holding, that's my baby brother Neal. This is my family, our family. I need to find her."

"I am sorry ma'am I can't give out that information."

Emma backed away. She started walking out; feeling like the world had closed in on her.

"Hey," one of the staff guys said to her. "I couldn't help but over hear you up there. I carried Miss Mills' luggage down to the car maybe 25 minutes ago. She was a good tipper so I remembered. Great pair of legs too, which helped with the memory. Anyway, I asked her where she was going and she said she was headed home. I hope that helps."

"It does. Thank you so much."

"Good luck."

….

Emma got home quicker this time – figured she thought. She burst into the apartment to a waiting Henry. "Pack a bag, we're going to Storybrooke."


	6. Chapter 6

Emma kept having Henry call or text Regina on their way back to Storybrooke. They were about 40 minutes out when Henry's phone beeped.

"It's mom. She says she is fine and is sorry for leaving me like that," he said.

"Text her back and tell her we are on our way to Storybrooke in case she hasn't listened to her all her messages," Emma said.

She glanced over to see him typing in the message. Waiting for a reply was excruciating for her. When the phone beeped, she saw Henry typing back immediately and then a moment later there was another beep.

"What did she say?"

"She asked how close we were to Storybrooke and I told her and then she asked if I would ask you if we could go straight to her house."

"Tell her yes. Tell her we will be there soon."

Emma felt a little weight come off of her shoulders. At least Regina was there and must be somewhat willing to talk to her.

She increased her speed and they were pulling up in front of her house 30 minutes later.

"Why is there one of the sheriff's cruisers here?" Henry asked.

"I don't know," Emma said suddenly getting worried. The cruiser was parked in the driveway, although its lights were off. They walked up to the door, Emma again looking over at the cruiser.

She knocked on the front door and Regina answered. "Come in," she said moving out of the way for them to enter. She shut the door behind them and began walking back to the main room.

"Why is there a sheriff's car outside?" Emma asked.

As they entered the room, Emma saw two deputies – two who were added to the force not long before she had left. There was also another man in a suit there.

"What is going on?" Emma asked.

The man in the suit approached her, handing her some paper. "Do you recognize the signature on those forms?" he asked.

Emma looked at the sheets of paper – at forms she never expected to see again.

"What is it?" Henry asked.

"Henry maybe you should go upstairs to your room," Regina said.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Do as you she says," Emma said still looking at the papers. "Don't worry, it's ok. Just go."

Henry looked at Regina and then Emma, and slowly left the room. Emma turned to Regina, "Don't do this."

"You haven't left me any choice."

"Regina, come on, I came here to talk to you, to apologize and you ambush me with this shit."

Regina looked away from her.

"Do you recognize the signature?" the guy asked again.

"Yes," Emma said. "It's my fucking signature, is that what you want me to say."

"Then you agree that you gave up all custody of your son when he was a day old?"

"Regina. Damn it Regina look at me." She waited for Regina to look at her and she saw the hurt in the other woman's eyes – hurt she knew she was the cause of. "Don't do this. Please, we can work this out."

"My client wishes to press charges of interference with custody against Miss Swan," the man said. "Unless you leave now. Any further discussions regarding the custody of the minor child Henry Mills can take place when you have legal representation if you plan on asserting a right you gave up a long time ago. My client, Miss Mills, is the legal parent of Henry Mills, as the documents show. You can leave now Miss Swan, or these fine gentleman of the law will escort you to a jail cell."

"Regina," she said more sternly. "You have to be joking with this bullshit."

"He's my son," Regina said. "You can't just take him from me because you wish it."

"Kind of like you are doing now?"

"No," Regina said. "I recognize that you are also his mother. And I am completely open to working out a custody agreement with you. I have no plans to contest your rights as his birth mother. But you apparently don't want to give me the same respect as his mother so you've left me no choice."

"If you think I am going to happily leave here, you are crazy," she said. "Make these guys leave and you and I will sit and we will talk. We need to talk about it, about everything, about what you said."

Regina looked away, "You can forget about what I said. It's not true because you aren't the person I thought you were. This is just me proving I am the person you apparently think I am. Get out of my house."

"You heard her Miss Swan," the lawyer said.

"Fuck you," she said back to him. "I'm not leaving."

"Deputies."

The two men approached her. "Ma'am you need to leave," one of them said.

"I'm not leaving," she said again looking at Regina.

"Ma'am," the other said putting a hand on her arm. She pushed him back away from her and other grabbed her. She was forced against the wall where the handcuffs were put on her. She stared at Regina as they pulled her around and then led her to the door. They got to the foyer where Henry was sitting on the steps.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking my mom?" he asked.

"It's fine Henry," Emma said. "It's just a misunderstanding. Isn't that right Regina?"

Regina approached Henry and put a hand on his shoulder as they led Emma out the door. Regina shut the door behind them so neither had to watch them put her in the cruiser. She heard Emma yell her name once more.

"Why was she being arrested?"

She led him over to the steps and sat down beside him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I … I don't have any excuse for what I just did."

"What did you do?"

"I didn't want you or Emma to go back to New York and I asked her not to take you, and she wouldn't listen. And then when I was there –some of the things she said to me. The way she has acted toward me, it's like she doesn't care that I am your mother too. I love you Henry and I don't want to have to rely on her whims as to whether I get to see you or not. It's not fair to me and it's not fair to you. She and I need to work this out so we can each be your parent."

"Did you have to have her arrested?"

"No, that was just an added bonus. Don't worry, my attorney has instructions to have her bailed out in a few hours and drop the charges. I never meant for her to actually go to jail for this. I need her to understand that I am going to fight to be with you. She and I need to talk, although I imagine I have made that more difficult now."

"What about what you said in New York? You said you loved her. Is that true?"

"I don't know anymore."


	7. Chapter 7

Emma was pacing around the jail cell for 20 minutes, fuming with anger at Regina. How dare she do this, Emma thought. Seeing those papers again, where she had signed away her parental rights, was like a punch in the gut. Giving Henry up was her biggest regret and Regina had thrown if back in her face.

Henry was her son, and she would be damned if she was going to let Regina take him away from her.

As soon as the thought came into her head, she stopped pacing. She was prepared to do anything to keep Regina from taking Henry from her. It seemed Regina was prepared to do the same.

"Damn it," she yelled punching the wall.

And what about Regina's confession of love? Did she mean it in New York, and if she did, had Emma ruined things already?

She was there for another 30 minutes before her father – now sheriff – came in and ordered the deputy to release her.

She hadn't called him, not wanting to explain, which meant one of the deputies had.

"What is going on? Why were you arrested for interference with custody?"

"Because I gave Henry up," Emma said. "Regina is legally his parent, I am not and you know I don't really want to talk about it. Can you give me a ride to Regina's? My car is there."

"Yes," he said. "And then perhaps she will explain what this is all about."

"Dad, I really need you to not do that. Let me handle it."

"You were just arrested, I think as your dad and as sheriff I should hear from you and not read it in some report."

Emma sighed. "I will explain later. Please. Just take me to Regina's so I can get my car and go to Granny's to get a room for the night."

"So you aren't planning on staying long?"

"No, I don't suppose I am."

She knew her decision to move back to New York had hurt her parents, and it seemed that was still a sore subject as her father didn't say much on the ride over. He parked behind Emma's car.

"Are you sure you want to go to Granny's. You can stay at the house."

"It's probably for the best if I stay at Granny's. I will talk to you tomorrow."

"Ok," he said.

She got out and walked to her car, purposely waving for him to go ahead and leave as she unlocked the door and got in. She started the car and turned on the headlights as he pulled away. She pulled out and turned to head the opposite direction, but as soon as she saw him turn the corner she parked her car – this time in Regina's driveway where the sheriff cruiser had sat earlier.

She marched up to the door and pounded on the door, not caring how late it was getting.

Regina opened it. "I saw your father dropping you off," she said. "I guess that saves me the bail money."

She moved out of the way for Emma to come in.

"You were going to bail me out after you had me thrown in there in the first place?" she said upon entering.

"I was. I thought an hour or two in there might help you clear your head."

"The only thing it did was make me angry. Now where is my son?"

"Henry is upstairs in his room. I can ask him to come down if you want, but he is in bed. Now that you are out of jail, I think I can probably turn in as well. You can take one of the spare bedrooms, or you can go to Granny's or your parents, I don't care which you choose."

"Bed, you aren't going to bed. We are going to talk about this."

"No Miss Swan we are not, at least not now when you are still worked up over this. You have every right to be. I am sorry for what I did. I am sorry that you had to see those papers, but you needed to understand that I am not going to sit idly by while you try and keep me out of Henry's life. I meant what I said earlier, I do not want to contest your rights in this matter, but we do have to come up with an agreement – one that is fair to Henry, and hopefully fair to the both of us. But if you think you treat me like you did in New York, like I have no say in any of this, then we can let our attorneys argue it out. Again, your choice. Now I am going to bed. There are two spare bedrooms at the top of the stairs on either side of the hall, you can choose whichever you want if you are staying. Either way, lock up if you are leaving, or lock up if you are staying. Good night Miss Swan."

Emma stood there as Regina walked away. All the anger, the all the things she wanted to lash out and say to her died at the tip of her tongue. She came in there ready for a fight, but Regina had somehow defused the situation.

She walked back outside to her car. She stood there beside it thinking.

"Fuck it," she said, pulling her bag from the back and going back inside – locking the door behind her. She walked up to one of the spare rooms, pausing as she saw Henry's room was beside hers and Regina's was at the end of the hall.

She went inside, tossed her bag down and laid on the bed. How on Earth had she ended up here, lying on a bed in Regina's house after the woman had had her arrested?

The thing was, she believed Regina when she said she didn't want to fight Emma on whether Emma had any rights to Henry. She believed her that she did want to work things out. It only made her feel worse though because if they had spoken before Emma had returned to New York with Henry none of this may have been necessary.

Emma had been eager to leave though. She didn't want to stick around in Storybrooke with Regina knowing there was no future there. She wasn't even sure there was a future to be had now with the other woman.

If she had just kept her mouth shut in New York she wouldn't be here now. But she also may not have known Regina loved her if she hadn't said anything.

She was less worried about talking with Regina about Henry than she was about actually talking to Regina about her feelings. Regina had no idea that Emma had fallen in love with her. Now she wondered if that even made a difference anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma was still sleepy when she woke the next morning. It had taken her a while to fall asleep – her head full of thoughts. She checked her phone, and found it was already past 10:30 a.m. She figured Regina was already up; the woman had always struck her as an early riser kind of her person.

She left the room and made her way downstairs, finding Regina and Henry in the main room sitting and talking.

"Morning," she said leaning against the door frame.

"It is still morning," Regina said. "You just made it."

"I had some time to spare."

"There is coffee in the kitchen," Regina offered.

"Thanks," Emma said, heading that way.

She found the cups easy enough, as they were conveniently just above where the coffee maker was which she was guessing was no accident on Regina's part. She leaved against the counter and sipped the coffee considering how different she and Regina were. But she also wondered how much of the life she thought she had lived with Henry was influenced by Regina's life. Regina had given her those memories and looking back there were things – like how organized her kitchen was back in New York that was so similar to what Regina was like.

Even though her place in New York was real, unlike her memories, it was influenced by a life she had thought she had lived. Hell, even the fixtures on their sinks were similar.

She was drinking the coffee still when Regina walked in.

"Are you ready to talk?"

"As ready as I am ever going to be," Emma responded.

"Henry is upstairs in his room playing a video game," she said. "He said he'd give us some time to talk, but he expects lunch."

"I swear that boy has increased his eating ten-fold," Emma said.

"Yes well he mentioned something about going to Granny's for lunch or dinner," she said. "I imagine he will also want to see his grandparents."

Emma merely nodded. Regina led the way and they ended up in the same room from when Emma first met Regina. Somehow she found it fitting, especially when they took the exact same seats.

"I figured we could come up with some sort of standard custody agreement," Regina began. "There has to be common ground we can start from. You want to be part of his life; I want to be part of his life. I'm sorry again about last night and having you arrested. I just needed you to understand that I am serious. I am not going to be pushed out of his life. I am not going to push you out of his life either."

"Why are we talking about Henry?" Emma said.

"Because that is the only topic you and I need to talk about."

"You said you loved me."

"As the custodial parent, I am going to want Henry to be here during the school year," Regina said. "You can of course contest this, but I was hoping we could avoid attorneys. If you don't think that is possible then we can get them involved."

"Regina," Emma said. "We need to talk about this, about us."

Regina looked away for a moment. "This is … we can't. There is no us. We can either talk about the matter at hand, or we can involve the attorneys. It is your choice."

"My choice is for us to talk about what you said back in New York. Were you telling the truth when you said you loved me?"

"What does it matter?"

"It matters because part of the reason I left was because I had fallen in love with you and I thought there was zero chance of you and I ever happening. I left because I thought there was no way that you would ever feel anything for me. When you came to New York, I … I felt like you didn't care, you were just there for Henry and then I … I lashed out at you and I know the things I said were unforgivable and I have no excuse for my words, but I lost you and I didn't want to lose Henry and you made an easy target for me to lash out at. I'm sorry. Love makes me do crazy things I guess."

"You're in love with me?"

Emma smiled, "Yeah. Now can we talk?"

"Yes," Regina smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

"How?" Regina asked.

"How what?"

"How did you fall in love with me?"

"I don't know. There isn't one thing to point to. It was like all of a sudden I would be doing something and I would think, 'I wonder what Regina would think of this' or if I was wearing my red jacket, I would think 'Regina is sure to have an eye roll or a remark to make, but at least she noticed.' You started to become a normal thought pattern in my brain and one day I just realized why that was. It was because I was in love with you. But you didn't seem to even notice. When I said I was taking Henry back to New York you were upset about me taking him, you didn't seem upset about me leaving, and it made me angry. I was angry that you couldn't see that I was right here in front of you and we were a family."

Regina was stunned by the heartfelt admission that she sat there merely staring at Emma, and not saying anything.

Emma began to feel uncomfortable under Regina's gaze.

"I was … I was devastated," Regina said. "Devastated when you left and not just because of Henry. Outside of work, I didn't leave home for anything for two weeks. I thought I had lost my chance to tell you how I felt when you left. I thought I should have said something, anything, even if you laughed at me because at least then I would know that there was no chance of us being together. Then when I came to New York I was determined to tell you but when you made me delay coming I lost my nerve, but after that first night I was has settled my nerves and was going to tell you. Then we got into that fight, and you were attacking me and I …"

"I'm sorry," Emma said getting up and coming over to sit beside her. "I am sorry for the things I said. I was hurt and I lashed out. I never meant to hurt you, or make you feel like you weren't Henry's mother. I'm sorry."

She reached out and put her hand over Regina's. She then brought her other hand up to Regina's face touching her cheek gently. She ran her palm down her check, ending at her chin which she cupped and pulled forward bringing her lips closer until – contact.

She let her lips brush Regina's lightly. It remained a light touch of the lips until Regina kissed her back more forcibly.

They continued to kiss a moment before pulling back.

Emma smiled first, and Regina followed suit.

"So," Emma said.

"So," Regina responded.

"Maybe we should get the kid some lunch," Emma said. "Together."

…

They walked into Granny's, Emma holding the door open for Henry and Regina.

"Emma!" Ruby said coming from behind the counter and hugging her. "Hey Henry," she said bending down and giving him a hug as well.

"Can we get a table for three?" Emma asked.

Ruby looked at Regina, "sure," she said leading them over to a booth. Henry sat on one side, and Emma let Regina enter the opposite side before sliding in next to her. "So what can I get you?" Ruby asked.

They gave their orders and were left alone.

"Are you and mom done fighting now?" Henry asked Emma.

"I hope so," Emma said looking at Regina.

"At the very least maybe we can avoid sending each other to jail cells," Regina said.

"Too soon," Emma smiled.

They were partway through their meal when Charming and Snow entered. They immediately saw Emma and Regina.

"You had our daughter thrown in jail?" Snow said coming up to them.

"Mom," Emma said determined to stop whatever this was before it started.

"And you," Snow said to Emma. "Maybe none of this would have happened if you hadn't have left. You left your family."

"Snow, I think Emma can explain if you give her the chance," Regina said.

"Explain what?"

"Well you see, I um …" Emma started to say.

"My moms are dating now."

Everyone turned to Henry. They hadn't told him anything about their talk; only that they were taking him out to eat.

Snow and Charming turned back to the two women. "Well?"

"Um, well, um …" Emma said.

"We aren't dating," Regina said. "Not that we won't but neither of us has actually asked the other one out yet."

"Is this true?" Snow asked Emma.

Emma turned to Regina. "Do you want to go out on a date with me?"

"I would love to," Regina smiled.

Emma turned back to her parents. "I guess we are dating."


	10. Chapter 10

Note: I do not own OUAT or its characters (just a reminder, not that you didn't know already)

Note 2: Sorry it has taken a long time to update

* * *

Regina was out of her mind with nerves. All the angst of working up to getting a date with Emma Swan and then actually going out on a date with Emma Swan were incomparable. She had rejected several outfits already and even after settling on a red dress that she thought showed off her hips very well, she was still unsure that it was "first date" worthy.

She didn't have time to change at the point though as she put on the final touches. She was checking her lipstick in the hall mirror when the doorbell rang. She tried not to rush over to it, not wanting to seem too eager.

She opened the door and felt her nerves disappear for a moment at least as she gazed upon Emma, who was dressed in a pair of black pants with a purple button up shirt and matching black jacket. Her hair seemed extra thick and curly and Regina had the sudden urge to touch it.

"Hi," she finally said.

"You look wow," Emma said who was also stricken momentarily useless while she looked at Regina.

"Thank you," Regina smiled. "You look very beautiful this evening."

"Thanks," Emma said looking down at her outfit. "I changed like a million times as I wasn't sure what to wear."

"You chose well. Shall we go?"

"Yes," Emma said, offering Regina an arm. They got into Regina's car – Regina refusing to have a first date that involved Emma's car. Regina was about to put it in drive when Emma stopped her.

"What?" Regina said seeing Emma looking at her with intensity.

Emma leaned over and kissed her slowly. "Sorry," she said afterward. "I couldn't wait until after the date to do that."

Regina smiled, "I don't think anyone would accuse either of us of being traditional so it's perfectly ok."

They actually drove out of Storybrooke to the next town over for their dinner. They could have stayed in town, and neither cared if others thought it odd they were out together but in the end they also decided they wanted their privacy. Henry was at his grandparents for the evening, and for the first time in what seemed like they a long time both women were just Regina and Emma.

They ate at a family-owned seaside restaurant that provided an intimate setting for their date.

"You never told me how it was that you fell in love with me," Emma said partway through the meal.

"It was kind of the same as you, where there wasn't any one moment, but the moment I really started to consider that you could be more than a nuisance in my life was with the failsafe device. I asked you to let Henry know that I died as just Regina and instead of just leaving me there to take care of that thing the best I could you stayed. No one had ever done that for me – you know stayed for me – not really at least and it meant a lot to me."

"And then like an idiot I leave you behind and go to New York."

"We agreed not to talk about that."

"I know. It's just frustrating because this could be like our 20th date by now instead of our first."

"That eager to get to a date that involves sex?"

"What? Um … no … I mean I would um … you know when …" Emma stuttered, totally caught off guard by the remark.

Regina laughed at the look on Emma's face and Emma in turn relaxed realizing Regina was having a bit of fun at her expense.

"My point was this could have happened sooner."

"It could have, especially if I had spoken up sooner. I had thought about doing it so many times but each time I chickened out. I guess the idea that you might like me in return was still a far-fetched idea in my head that it prevented me from saying what I wanted to say."

"I guess the important thing is that we got here, not when it happened, but that it happened at all."

"Yes. I must say I am surprised your mother didn't have a mob of villagers with pitchforks outside my house after you asked me out in front of her."

"Nah, she's just hoping you make an honest woman out of me quick and get her some more grandchildren."

This time it was Emma's turn to laugh at Regina's look.

They finished their meal, even sharing a piece of cheesecake for dessert and then they went for a walk along the boardwalk, Emma taking Regina's hand in hers. They ended up leaning against the railing out on a pier watching the waves come in.

"I remember when I first brought everyone to Storybrooke. I thought what a strange little town, how different from where we were from, except for the water. The ocean, even the small river, it seemed like it was plucked right from home. It was comforting in a way to have something familiar so close by."

"What was it like? Not the casting of the curse, but being here at first."

"Strange. I never had a set of memories like everyone else. I knew who I was and the spell did give me knowledge of this world like it did everyone else, but having knowledge and putting it to practice were two different things. I scared to death the first time I tried to drive a car."

"I would have paid to see that," Emma said.

"It would have been worth the price I assure you."

"Do you miss it at all, home?"

Regina looked out at the water again and considered the question. "I don't want to sound like a bad person for saying this, but no I don't."

"Why would you sound like a bad person for saying it?"

"I think some people in town have a romanticized version of the Enchanted Forest in their minds. They see it differently than I do. To me, it's full of mistakes and bad memories. I know when your parents had the plan of returning their and leaving me behind, I was upset, but the truth was I upset with them plotting behind my back to leave me. I would not have been upset at staying here unless Henry was taken from me. This has been more like a home to me than that place was."

"Well if it makes you feel any better you would probably have to drag Ruby back kicking and screaming before she would allow anyone to take her back. She loves it here."

"At least I would have her to keep me company then."

"Not just her," Emma smiled.

They returned to Storybrooke and Emma walked Regina up to her door. "Do you want to come in?"

"There you go breaking with traditional first date protocols," Emma said.

"I'm willing to take the risk that the sheriff won't have me arrested for breaking any first date laws," Regina said. "Although the prospect of handcuffs is intriguing."

When Emma gulped, it was easy for both of them to hear as Regina took her hand and led her inside.

Regina made them both coffee and they sat on the couch talking more, until Regina moved in closer and kissed Emma. They continued to kiss, exploring each other's mouths while Emma had a hand on Regina's thigh. She wanted to do more than kiss, but she reminded herself that not only was this just the first date, but she didn't want to put any undo pressure on the other woman.

This was new to both of them, and just kissing was perfectly ok.

"I had a really wonderful time," Regina said afterward.

"I did too," Emma said. "I should probably get going since it's getting late."

"Of course," Regina said. They walked to the door where there was more kissing.

"I am looking forward to date number two already," Emma said between kisses.

"I am looking forward to date number 20. We did agree that was a sex date right?"

"Woman you are going to be the death of me," Emma said, deepening the kiss. "But what a way to go."

They finally stopped long enough for Emma to actually leave. Once the door was closed Regina leaned up against it. She never felt like this before – a giddiness that threatened to consume her. She was so happy and wanted nothing more than to have Emma there with her, but she knew they needed to take it slow. Still it didn't mean she wouldn't be thinking about her tonight while in bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Regina asked Emma if she wanted to come over for dinner a couple of days after their first date. Emma readily agreed and asked if she should bring anything, but Regina assured her that she had every thing well in hand.

Henry was going to be there so Emma knew this wouldn't be like a date, but she was willing to take what she could get. While the two women had admitted they loved each other it didn't mean they didn't need to work on learning about each other and actually forming a relationship. Emma almost laughed at the thought of how backward they were in going about this.

She showed up on time, which she was silently proud about. She knew enough about Regina to know she would be annoyed if Emma was late. Henry answered the door.

"Hey Emma, come in."

"Thanks kid, where's your mom?"

"In the kitchen finishing up dinner. Do you want to play a video game until she is done?"

"Sure," she said. "Just let me pop into the kitchen and let her know I am here."

She stuck her head in through the doorway. "Hi. Henry wants to play a game before dinner, is that ok?"

"Yes, it'll be another twenty minutes or so," Regina said.

"Ok," Emma said. She went up to Henry's room and they played a game until Regina called up to them.

They ate dinner at the table, a custom Emma was still trying to get used to. Growing up in the foster system there weren't a lot of sit down dinners with a family around her. That had changed since she came to Storybrooke and discovered her parents and now discovering a whole other family in Henry and Regina.

"The food is really good," Emma said. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"Twenty-eight years of cooking shows my dear," she said. "You don't want to know how bad it was in the first few years. I wasn't used to cooking for myself until I came here. I ate at Granny's a lot at first. What about you, can you cook?"

"I'm not too bad," Emma said. "Henry didn't starve at least when I had him for that year in New York. Although I have to admit I am not really sure how I knew how to cook some of the stuff I did."

"You knew how to do it because I did."

"What do you mean?"

"When I gave you the memories, I had to use something to build on so I used some of my own. Things you remember about Henry growing up with you were built upon my memories of him growing up. Obviously you would remember them different or they would occur in different settings but the basis came from me."

"So Henry really was that fussy as a baby?"

"Hey," Henry said.

Regina smiled. "He could be at times. It took me a while to figure things out being a first time mom and having no real help or knowledge of kids. I was an only child and was never around children a whole lot. Frankly, there are times I am surprised he survived past the age of two."

"Not cool mom," Henry said.

She ran her hand across the hair on his head. "You are still the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

"As long as I am still at the top," he said appeased.

"You will always be," she assured him.

"Did you ever think about adopting any other children?" Emma asked.

"No, I was content with just Henry."

They ate the rest of their meal just chatting about little things. After dinner Henry went upstairs while Emma and Regina retired to the couch.

"I don't think I ever said thank you," Emma said.

"For what?"

"For giving me the chance to experience raising Henry, even if it was just in my memories. It's without a doubt the greatest gift anyone has ever given me."

Regina turned away from her for a moment. "I've also taken a lot away from you. Twenty-eight years of memories that should have been happy times with your parents."

"When someone says thank you, you usually just say you're welcome," Emma said trying to lighten the mood before it turned dark. From the look on Regina's face, it didn't work.

They both knew that the subject was going to have to come up at some point. The idea that the Savior and the Evil Queen could have a relationship when it was the Evil Queen who had forced her parents to give her up. The biggest chip on Emma's shoulder had always been that her parents had given her up, not cared enough about her to keep her. Even though she knew the full story now there was still a little resentment that they didn't keep her with them even though they believed what they were doing was saving her.

Emma figured it was best to get the conversation out of the way early on now that the door had been opened to it.

She put her hand on Regina's. "You aren't that person anymore. I know this. You know this. What happened with you and my parents happened a long time ago, literally in another place and time. You and my mother have come to an understanding. There were mistakes made on both sides. The way I look at it, you can't change it. It's done, it's over, it's in the past and I am not interested in living in the past. I am not saying you haven't done some shitty things, but I am saying you aren't that person anymore."

"Aren't you a little bit afraid that I am though? Because I am."

"Why would you say that?"

"I did have you thrown in jail like two weeks ago," Regina said.

"Yes. You were understandably upset because of the things I said. I still feel like a complete bitch for saying them."

"That is my point though. I get upset and I make poor decisions. How do you know that it's not going to happen again in the future and I'm not going to destroy everything like I seem to have a habit of doing?"

"I don't."

"That's reassuring."

"It's honest though. Look I don't know what's going to happen in the future anymore than you do or anyone else does but can you do you want a bunch of what ifs to stop you from what could be potentially a great thing?"

Regina looked down at their hands where Emma still had a hold of hers. "I just don't want to mess this up."

"Then don't mess it up before it even begins," Emma said leaning over and kissing her. She was happy with Regina kissed her back. She was sure this wasn't the last of conversations like this but at least for now she felt like she had defused the situation.

Regina pulled back and looked at her. "Henry may be the greatest thing that ever happened to me, but you are the most amazing thing."

"I am pretty amazing," Emma said giving her a cocky look.

"You know when someone gives you a compliment you usually just say thank you or at least act a little modest," Regina smiled.

"Not my style," Emma said kissing her again.


End file.
